Okay, I haven't so much as glanced this thread before since the subject matter isn't exactly my cup of tea but you know, wow!Here's hoping for Mardle's slow and painful death. May his genitals be devoured by a German homo on prowl...

Seriously, I'm not exactly shy on using personal crap as a handy bludgeon around here but sweet Jesus, rape goes "a bit" too far even by my standards.

Billy, ever heard a detailed account on being raped by someone you love? If not, consider yourself a lucky man.

As far as I know neither Zidane nor Materazzi have said anything about the incident in public yet.

That's what reputable sources like the BBC are reporting too.

According to one of my brothers in law, less reputable sources in France are reporting it was something along the lines of "You should play for your own country, terrorist scum" along with something about Zidane's mother.

It's remarkable that a player as limited as Materazzi, an Everton failure, not only played in a WC Final but had a bigger impact on the outcome than anyone else on the field.

But of course Zidane was an absolute fool for taking the bait, and there's no defending his reaction. Had he scored with that header a few minutes earlier, he'd have won the World Cup for his country and retired in triumph. But the fates were lying in wait to expose the tragic flaw of the great man.

I don't begrudge Italian football fans their fourth World Cup though, and neither did any of the French ex-pats I watched the game with. Italy is a truly great footballing nation, and with their domestic game racked by scandal right now, this was a timely boost to ordinary decent football fans there.

Slan libh,

Dara

"I could count my friends on one hand, but I'd look like I was giving an invisible friend a hand job." - Shelle